Chinese Quince Bonsai Care Guide

Across the growing season, Chinese Quince can be kept in full sun and ideally an airy location. It is not a solidly hardy species so requires winter protection. Planted in a pot in requires some frost.  

During the summer when your Chinese Quince is producing its flowers, it requires generously. This goes for throughout the growing season to ensure the rootball never dries out. In the winter, keep the soil moist. 

Feed only once the fruit has set. During the growing season, use a solid organic fertiliser once a month or a liquid feed weekly.

Pruning your bonsai is important not only to create or maintain an aesthetic style but to also ensure optimal health. New shoots should not be trimmed until flowers are visible. When fruits begin to show remove most as leaving all will likely weaken the branches and take most of the tree’s energy. After flowering, trim back new shoots to one or two leaves after they have grown. On younger trees, remove flower buds where you want the trunk and branch structure to develop. Winter dormancy is the best time for hard pruning. 

We recommend using wires with a thickness that matches the thickness of the branch: if the wire you choose is too thick you will damage the bark. If it is too thin, it won’t be effective.

Repotting your tree is an important way to provide a fresh and suitable soil mix and ensure appropriate root health. Repot your Chinese Quince every other year at the start of spring. 

Trees that are ready for repotting will require root pruning, a suitable new pot and appropriate soil mix.

When repotting, do not cut back the root mass by a large amount, and choose a well-draining soil mix that has a neutral or slightly higher PH value of 5-6 but not over 7. We tend to use a mixture of different speciality bonsai soils on our trees. Every species is different so please contact us for free soil-mix advice or to take advantage of our repotting service.